Meeting on launching sustainable tourism activities at Khuoi Ky Stone village

There were preventative leader of the Coordination Board of Commercial Support Smallholder Project of Cao Bang Province (CSSP), representative of the Division of Culture and Communications of Trung Khanh District, Party Committee and People’s Committee of Dam Thuy Commune, Ban Gun hamlet and 17 households of Khuoi Ky stone village.

At the meeting, the participants were informed of the progress of activities on sustainable development, landscaping, environmental issues and traditional culture conservation under the Plan No.145/KHPH dated August 22^nd, 2022 on Cooperation in the implementation of participatory and sustainable tourism development associated with UNESCO Global Geopark at Khuoi Ky community-based tourism village, Dam Thuy Commune, Trung Khanh District, Cao Bang Province between the Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism and the People’s Committee of Trung Khanh District; between the Management Board of Non nuoc Cao Bang Geopark and the People’s Committee of Dam Thuy Commune. According to the report, although a Coordination Board for community-base tourism of Khuoi Ky village was established at the end of the year 2023, it has seen effective activities due to the lack of detailed activity plan. There has been a number of difficulties in the implementation of the Plan such as funding shortage, unspecific coordination guidelines between relevant departments, management boards and agencies, which led to unproductive and unsystematic activities. In addition, environmental awareness of a number of people is low.  
 

In the framework of the meeting, the participants spent time discussing difficulties in implementing sustainable community-based tourism development activities at Khuoi Ky village, and activities should be given priority in the coming time such as improving infrastructure, building village entrance gate, landscaping, building stream embankment, spillway, water storing dam, raising the roof of ancient stone houses, waste treatment system, improving the current community house of the village into the space to display culture values of the Tay people, craft products, souvenirs, and to serve experiential events, etc. Proposing activities of priority to the Coordination Board of Commercial Support Smallholder Project of Cao Bang Province (CSSP) to submit KOICA Vietnam Office for project carried out in Khuoi Ky.

The participants of the meeting agreed on the followings: (1) the households responsible for the parking lots will urgently prepare the parking ground, safe barriers and fences, legal procedures for business registration would be supported by the local government; (2) villagers discuss and agree on items to be constructed at the common yard,  submit to the Management Board of Non nuoc Cao Bang Geopark and the Coordination Board of Commercial Support Smallholder Project of Cao Bang Province; (3) considering activities that are able to carry out at the community house of the village, competent households could involve in these activities; (4) the Management Board of Non nuoc Cao Bang Geopark will assist the Coordination Board for community-based tourism development of Khuoi Ky village in generating operational regulations of the Board, presenting to the villagers for agreement and application; (5) designing information panel at the entrance of the village; (6) Suggesting the  Coordination Board of Commercial Support Smallholder Project of Cao Bang Province submit the proposals of the villagers of Khuoi Ky to KOICA Vietnam Office to add into the project implemented at Khuoi Ky village in the coming time.